Remote optical sensor with optical fiber for brake condition monitoring

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for monitoring condition of a braking system includes a brake pad with a friction material, a plurality of light transmission fibers, and a plurality of optical image fibers. A first end of each of the plurality of light transmission fibers coupled to one or more light emitting-diodes and a second end of each of the plurality of light transmission fibers directed towards a contact surface of the brake rotor. A first end of each of the plurality of optical image fibers coupled to an image sensor and a second end of each of the plurality of optical image fibers directed towards the contact surface of the brake rotor, where the plurality of light transmission fibers and the plurality of optical image fibers are configured to capture an image of at least a section of the contact surface of the brake rotor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates generally to braking system, and in particular,to a structure for monitoring brake pad and rotor condition with aremote optical sensor and optical fiber.

Safe operation of motorized vehicles and industrial equipment isdependent upon key components being properly maintained to ensure theoperating condition of the key components remains optimal. Though mostmotorized vehicles and industrial equipment have manufacturer specifiedservice interval, unforeseen conditions or situations can damage oraccelerate wear of the key components. Braking systems typically utilizea rotor and caliper assembly, where the caliper assembly presses acontact surface of a friction pad (i.e., brake pad) against a contactsurface of the rotor to slow a rotational movement of the rotor. Anoptimal condition of the contact surface of both the rotor and thefriction pad ensures that the braking system is operating according toengineering specifications.

SUMMARY

One aspect of an embodiment of the present invention discloses anapparatus for monitoring condition of a braking system, the apparatuscomprising a brake pad with a friction material, a first plurality oflight transmission fibers, and a first plurality of optical imagefibers, wherein the first plurality of light transmission fibers and thefirst plurality of optical image fibers are positioned on top of abacking plate of the brake pad, wherein the friction material ispositioned on top of the backing plate of the brake pad. The apparatusfurther comprising a first end of each of the first plurality of lighttransmission fibers coupled to one or more light emitting-diodes and asecond end of each of the first plurality of light transmission fibersdirected towards a contact surface of the brake rotor. The apparatusfurther comprising a first end of each of the first plurality of opticalimage fibers coupled to an image sensor and a second end of each of thefirst plurality of optical image fibers directed towards the contactsurface of the brake rotor, wherein the first plurality of lighttransmission fibers and the first plurality of optical image fibers areconfigured to capture an image of at least a section of the contactsurface of the brake rotor.

A second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention discloses amethod for brake condition monitoring, the method responsive toinitializing an image sensor and one or more infrared lightemitting-diodes, establishes, by one or more processors, a baselinemeasurement for each of one or more brake pads and one or more brakerotors utilizing a plurality of light transmission fibers coupled to theone or more infrared light emitting-diodes and a plurality of opticalimage fibers coupled to the image sensors. The method samples, by one ormore processors, each of the one or more brake pads and the each of theone or more brake rotors for assessment. The method processes, by one ormore processors, the sample readings for brake pad service projectionsand brake rotor service projections for each of the one or more brakepads and for each of the one or more brake rotors. The method displaysthe brake pad service projections and the brake rotor serviceprojections for each of the one or more brake pads and for each of theone or more brake rotor, wherein the brake rotor service projectionsfurther include a rotor condition assessment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description, given by way of example and notintended to limit the disclosure solely thereto, will best beappreciated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A depicts a front view of a rotor and brake pad with an integratedoptical image fiber and light transmission fibers, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B depicts a 3-dimensional view of a rotor and brake pad with anintegrated optical image fiber and light transmission fibers, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1C depicts a side view of a rotor, caliper, and brake pads with anintegrated optical image fiber and light transmission fibers, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts an example of a system for operating a remote opticalsensor with integrated optical image fiber and light transmissionfibers, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a distributed dataprocessing environment for operating a brake condition monitoringprogram, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting operational steps of a brake conditionmonitoring program for determining a rotor and brake pad conditions, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of components of a computer system forperforming the operational steps of the brake condition monitoringprogram, in an embodiment, in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 depicts a cloud computing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 depicts abstraction model layers, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a brake conditionmonitoring system utilizing brake pads with integrated high temperatureoptical fiber for remote sensor positioning. A remote image sensorcombined with infrared light emitting diodes (IR LEDs) are linked to thebrake pads in the brake systems via the optical fiber. A brake conditionmonitoring program manages the remote image sensors and IR LEDs andprovides brake condition information for the brake pads and rotors whichis displayed to the operating user (i.e., driver) and/or transmitted viaa cloud interface for further analytics and service intervaldetermination. A pulse air cleaning system can be integrated with theoptical fiber to ensure the brake pads with the integrated optical imagefiber and the light transmission fiber are free from loose debris toensure the remote image sensor receives an accurate reading from theoptical image fiber.

The brake condition monitoring program monitors determines a conditionof brake pads based on a thickness of friction material remaining on topof the backing plate of the brake pad. The brake condition monitoringprogram measures the thickness of the friction material by pulsing theIR LEDs positioned on the backing plate of the brake pad and samplingthe image sensor for a Time of Flight measurement between the backingplate and a contact surface of the rotor. The brake condition monitoringprogram continuous samples the image sensor during a rotation of therotor and merges the sample of images to construct a scan of the contactsurface of the rotor. The brake condition monitoring program can performimage analysis to assess the condition of the contact surface of therotor and determines if any damage (e.g., grooving, pitting) and/orcontaminants (e.g., oil stains, water, iron deposits) are present on thecontact surface of the rotor. The brake condition monitoring program candetermine a projected remaining life of the brake pads and rotors, apercentage of friction material remaining for the brake pads, and candisplay a warning when a wear threshold is reached for the brake padsand/or rotors.

Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein withreference to the accompanying drawings; however, it is to be understoodthat the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of potentialembodiments of the invention and may take various forms. In addition,each of the examples given in connection with the various embodiments isalso intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. This descriptionis intended to be interpreted merely as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the various aspectsof the present disclosure. In the description, details of well-knownfeatures and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuringthe presented embodiments.

For purposes of the description hereinafter, terms such as “upper”,“lower”, “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, andderivatives thereof shall relate to the disclosed structures andmethods, as oriented in the drawing figures. Terms such as “above”,“overlying”, “atop”, “on top”, “positioned on” or “positioned atop” meanthat a first element, such as a first structure, is present on a secondelement, such as a second structure, wherein intervening elements, suchas an interface structure may be present between the first element andthe second element. The term “direct contact” means that a firstelement, such as a first structure, and a second element, such as asecond structure, are connected without any intermediary conducting,insulating or semiconductor layers at the interface of the two elements.The term substantially, or substantially similar, refer to instances inwhich the difference in length, height, or orientation convey nopractical difference between the definite recitation (e.g. the phrasesans the substantially similar term), and the substantially similarvariations. In one embodiment, substantial (and its derivatives) denotea difference by a generally accepted engineering or manufacturingtolerance for similar devices, up to, for example, 10% deviation invalue or 10° deviation in angle.

In the interest of not obscuring the presentation of embodiments of thepresent invention, in the following detailed description, someprocessing steps or operations that are known in the art may have beencombined together for presentation and for illustration purposes and insome instances may have not been described in detail. In otherinstances, some processing steps or operations that are known in the artmay not be described at all. It should be understood that the followingdescription is rather focused on the distinctive features or elements ofvarious embodiments of the present invention.

Many common fabrication techniques involve securing two objects using anadhesive layer between the objects. Oftentimes, the adhesive layer ischosen in an attempt to permanently secure the two objects together. Andwhile this adhesive layer selection may be advantageous for typicalusage of the overall product, there may be instances where separation ofthe joined objects is either desired, or necessary. In such instances,separation of the two objects, without physically damaging either of theobjects, may be required so that one or both of the objects may bereused.

FIG. 1A depicts a front view of a rotor and brake pad with an integratedoptical image fiber and light transmission fibers, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. Brake monitoring system 100includes brake rotor 102 with brake pad 104, where a brake caliper (notillustrated in FIG. 1A) presses brake pad 104 against contact surface110 of brake rotor 102. In this embodiment, two rows of a plurality oflight transmission fibers 106 and a row of a plurality of optical imagefibers 108 are positioned within cavity 116 of brake pad 104. A firstend of each of the plurality of light transmission fibers 106 ismechanically coupled to one or more infrared light emitting diodes (IRLEDs), where light produced by the one or more IR LEDs enters the firstend of each of the plurality of light transmission fibers 106 and exitsa second end of each of the plurality of light transmission fibers 106.The second end of each of the plurality of light transmission fibers 106faces contact surface 110 of brake rotor 102, where the light exitingeach of the plurality of light transmission fibers 106 is directedtowards contact surface 110 of brake rotor 102. The two rows of theplurality of light transmission fibers 106 are positioned along aportion of a radius of contact surface 110 to cover a sweeping area ofcontact surface 110 as brake rotor 102 rotors in a clockwise orcounterclockwise manner based on a driving force at hub 112.

Similarly, a first end of each of the plurality of optical image fibers108 is mechanically coupled to one or more image sensors and a secondend of each of the plurality of optical image fibers 108 faces contactsurface 110 of brake rotor 102. Light exiting the second end of each ofthe plurality of light transmission fibers 106 reflects off of contactsurface 110 of brake rotor 102 and is captured by the second end of eachof the plurality of optical image fibers, where the one or more imagesensors receive the captured image (i.e., light) at the first end ofeach of the plurality of optical image fibers 108. The row of theplurality of optical image fibers 108 are positioned along a portion ofa radius of contact surface 110 to cover a sweeping area of contactsurface 110 as brake rotor 102 rotors in a clockwise or counterclockwisemanner based on the driving force at hub 112. The one or more IR LEDsand the one or more image sensors are remotely positioned away frombrake rotor 102 and brake pad 104, and are discussed in further detailwith regards to FIG. 2.

FIG. 1B depicts a 3-dimensional view of a rotor and brake pad with anintegrated optical image fiber and light transmission fibers, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Typical brakepads 104 include cavity 116 to allow for brake dust and gases escape thebraking system when brake pads 104 are applied to contact surface 110 ofrotating braking rotor 102. Brake monitoring system 100 exploits cavity116 of brake pads 104 by embedding one or more rows of a plurality oflight transmission fibers 106 and one or more rows of a plurality ofoptical image fibers 108. As previously discussed, this embodimentincludes two rows of a plurality of light transmission fibers 106 and asingle row of a plurality of optical image fibers 108. It is to benoted, a brake wear sensor can be incorporated into brake pad 104 incavity 116, where the brake wear sensor interacts with contact surface110 of brake rotor 102 when the brake pads are worn down to a certainthickness. However, some of the disadvantages of utilizing just thebrake wear sensor is that rotor condition cannot be monitored with thebrake wear sensor and brake condition monitoring program cannot utilizethe brake wear sensor to calculate remaining brake life or continuouspercentage of wear due to the binary operating nature of the brake wearsensor.

Brake rotor 102 can be made of metal based (e.g., iron) or carboncomposite based material. In this embodiment, brake rotor 102 is asingle piece design, where contact surface 110 and hub 112 are createdas a single mold. In other embodiments, brake rotor 102 is a two piecedesign, where contact surface 110 is coupled to hub 112 utilizing aplurality of fasteners positioned around the outer circumference of hub112. As brake rotor 102 experiences numerous heat cycles duringoperation, brake rotor 102 can experience one or more failures due todefects and/or operating the brake rotor 102 outside of manufacturingspecifications. The one or more failures can include scarring, cracking,warping, and excessive rusting. Scarring of brake rotor 102 occurs whena foreign objects (e.g., rock) impacts contact surface 110 and creates agroove (i.e., scar) into contact surface 110. Cracking of brake rotor102 occurs when the metal based or carbon composite based materialexperiences thermal stress fractures due to defects in the material oroperating outside of manufacturing specifications. Brake conditionmonitoring program has the ability to identify instances of scarring andcracking by pulsing the one or more IR LEDs, such that the second end ofeach of the plurality of light transmission fibers lights contactsurface 110 as brake rotor 102 rotates. The second end of each of theplurality of optical fibers captures an image of contact surface 110 foreach pulse off the one or more IR LEDs and brake condition monitoringprogram can compile the captured images to generate a single image ofcontact surface 110 for a single rotation of brake rotor 102. Brakecondition monitoring program can compare a current generated image ofcontact surface 110 for a single rotation of brake rotor 102 with one ormore previously generated images of contact surface 110 to identify anynewly developed scarring or cracking on contact surface 110 of brakerotor 102.

Warping of brake rotor 102 represents a condition where run-out ofcontact surface 110 is outside of manufacturing specification. Run-outis typically measured manually utilizing a dial indicator on a fixed andrigid base, where a tip of the dial indicator is perpendicular tocontact surface 110. As brake rotor 102 is spun, the dial indicatormeasures the run-out (i.e., warping) of contact surface 110. Brakecondition monitoring program can utilize Time of Flight measurements foreach pulse of the one or more IR LEDs, to determine if variations in theTime of Flight measurements exceed a pre-determined threshold. If theTime of Flight measurements exceed the pre-determined threshold, brakecondition monitoring program determines the run-out of contact surface110 of brake rotor 102 exceeds manufacturing specifications and brakerotor 102 requires replacing. Excessive rusting of brake rotor 102represents excess material buildup (i.e., iron deposit) on contactsurface 110, where the excess material buildup cannot be removed withbrake pads 104 contacting brake rotor 102. The plurality of opticalimage fibers 108 have the ability to capture the elevated portions ofcontact surface 110 due to the excessive rusting and brake conditionmonitoring program has the ability to highlight the portions of brakerotor 102 where excessive rust is present when generating an image ofcontact surface 110 for a single rotation of brake rotor 102.

FIG. 1C depicts a side view of a rotor, caliper, and brake pads with anintegrated optical image fiber and light transmission fibers, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. For discussionpurposes, reference numbers with designation “A” represent a left sideof brake monitoring system 100 and reference with designation “B”represent a right side of brake monitoring system 100. Brake rotor 102includes a left portion designated brake rotor 102A and a right portiondesignated brake rotor 102B, where cooling channels 122 separate theleft portion and the right portion. Brake pad 104A and 104B respectivelyinclude backing plate 120A and 120B, where backing plate 120A and 120Brespectively provide a structural support for friction material 114A and114B. As a brake caliper (not illustrated in FIG. 1C) squeeze brake pads104A and 104B against brake rotor 102, friction material 114A interactswith contact surface 110A on the left portion of brake rotor 102A andfriction material 114B interacts with contact surface 110B on the rightportion of brake rotor 102B. A first set of two rows of a plurality oflight transmission fibers 106A and a row of a plurality of optical imagefibers 108A are positioned within cavity 116A of brake pad 104A and asecond set of two rows of a plurality of light transmission fibers 106Band a row of a plurality of optical image fibers 108B are positionedwithin cavity 116B of brake pad 104B. As a result, brake conditionmonitoring program has the ability to monitor brake conditions for bothbrakes pads 104A and 104A, as well as contact surface 110A and 110B ofbrake rotor 102.

Brake condition monitoring program obtains a Time of Flight measurementby pulsating one or more IR LEDs coupled to the first set and the secondset of the two rows of light transmission fibers 106A and 106B andmeasuring Time of Flight from light transmission fibers 106A and 106B torespective optical image fibers 108A and 108B, where light emitted bylight transmission fibers 106A and 106B is reflected off of respectivecontact surface 110A and 110B back to respective optical image fibers108A and 108B. Brake condition monitoring program can utilizes the Timeof Flight measurement to determine a thickness of friction material 114Aand 114B of brake pad 104A and 104B, respectively. In some embodiments,light transmission fibers 106 and optical image fibers 108 can protrudea distance from backing plate 120 and brake condition monitoring programcan incorporate the distance of protrusion when determining thethickness of the friction material.

For a generated image of contact surface 110 of brake rotor 102, brakecondition monitoring program can compile the captured images associatedwith every IR LED pulse to generate the single image of contact surface110 during a single 360 degree rotation of brake rotor 102. Area 118 oncontact surface 110 represents a captured image of contact surface 110.In this embodiment, a capture image of area 118 is equal to 5 degrees ofa complete 360 degrees rotation of contact surface 110. Therefore, 72captured images and 72 pulses of the IR LEDs are required for brakecondition monitoring program to generate a single image of contactsurface 110 on brake rotor 102. Dimensions of area 118 in the captureimage dictate how many captured images are required for brake conditionmonitoring program to generate a single image of contact surface 110. Inother embodiment. brake condition monitoring program has the ability tocapture images over two or more 360 degree rotations of brake rotor 102to generate a single image of contact surface 110.

FIG. 2 depicts an example of a system for operating a remote opticalsensor with integrated optical image fiber and light transmissionfibers, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Inthis embodiment, a first end of each of the plurality of lighttransmission fibers 106 is coupled to one or more infrared lightemitting diodes (IR LEDs) located in sensor housing 204, where lightproduced by the one or more IR LEDs enters the first end of each of theplurality of light transmission fibers 106 and exits a second end ofeach of the plurality of light transmission fibers 106. The second endof each of the plurality of light transmission fibers 106 faces contactsurface 110 of brake rotor 102, where the light generated by the one ormore IR LEDs exiting the second end of each of the plurality of lighttransmission fibers 106 is directed towards contact surface 110 of brakerotor 102. A first end of each of the plurality of optical image fibers108 is coupled to one or more image sensors located in sensor housing204 and a second end of each of the plurality of optical image fibers108 faces contact surface 110 of brake rotor 102. Light exiting thesecond end of each of the plurality of light transmission fibers 106reflects off of contact surface 110 of brake rotor 102 and is capturedby the second end of each of the plurality of optical image fibers,where the one or more image sensors in sensor housing 204 receive thecaptured image (i.e., light) at the first end of each of the pluralityof optical image fibers 108. In this embodiment, there are a total of 18second ends of light transmission fibers in cavity 116 and a total of 14second ends of optimal image fibers in cavity 116.

Lines 208 house light transmission fibers 106, optical image fibers 108,and an air tube for directing pulses of compressed air via nozzle 206into cavity 116 housing the second end of each of the plurality of lighttransmission fibers 106 and optical image fiber 108. Nozzle 206 and theair tube integrated into lines 208 are part of a pulse air cleaningsystem to ensure brake pads 102 with light transmission fibers 106 andoptical image fibers 108 are free from loose debris to ensure the one ormore image sensors located in sensor housing 204 receives an accurateand clear image of contact surface 110. Sensor housing 204 is connectedto electronic device 202, where electronic device 202 operates brakecondition monitoring program 306 (discussed in further detail withregards to FIG. 3). Electronic device 202 is connected to anti-lockingbraking system (ABS) module 210, media system 212, safety systems 214,and cloud interface 216 (discussed in further detail with regards toFIG. 3).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting to the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiment, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableother of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein. It is therefore intended that the present inventionnot be limited to the exact forms and details described and illustratedbut fall within the scope of the appended claims.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a distributed dataprocessing environment for operating a brake condition monitoringprogram, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Electronic device 202 may be a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or anycomputing device capable of operating brake condition monitoring program306A and communication module 310. In general, electronic device 202 isrepresentative of any programmable electronic device or combination ofprogrammable electronic devices capable of executing machine-readableprogram instructions and communicating with users of other electronicdevices via network 304. Electronic device 202 may include components,as depicted and described in further detail with respect to FIG. 5, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention. In thisembodiment, brake condition monitoring program 306A operating onelectronic device 202 represents a user side (i.e., vehicle operator)based brake condition monitoring program 306.

Communication module 310 allows for brake condition monitoring program306A to interact with brake condition monitoring program 306B on servercomputer 302 via network 304. Electronic device 202 can include a userinterface to allow for a user (i.e., vehicle operator) to interact withbrake condition monitoring program 306A. Alternatively, the user caninteract with brake condition monitoring program 306A on electronicdevice 202 via media system 212, where media system 212 represents anaudio and/or visual based electronic system capable of relayinginformation from brake condition monitoring program 306A to the operatorof the vehicle. Additionally, media system 128 has the ability todisplay brake pad and brake rotor assessment and service projectionsdetermined by brake condition monitoring program 306A and informationproduced by safety system 214. Safety systems 214 include but is notlimited to radar based cruise control, cross-traffic alert, lane keepassist, and any other assisted driving systems utilizing the brakingsystem (i.e., brake pads and brake rotors) to assist the user operatingthe vehicle.

Server computer 302 may be a specialized computer server or any computersystem capable of executing the various embodiments of brake conditionmonitoring program 306B. In certain embodiments, server computer 302represents a computer system utilizing clustered computers andcomponents that act as a single pool of seamless resources when accessedthrough network 304, as is common in data centers and with cloudcomputing applications. In general, server computer 302 isrepresentative of any programmable electronic device or combination ofprogrammable electronic devices capable of executing machine-readableprogram instructions and communicating with other computer devices via anetwork. In this embodiment, server computer 302 has the ability tocommunicate with other computer devices (e.g., electronic device 202) toquery the computer devices for information. Server computer 302 includesbrake condition monitoring program 306B and vehicle data 308. In thisembodiment, brake condition monitoring program 306B represents a serverside based brake condition monitoring program 306.

Vehicle data 308 on server computer 302 includes brake conditioninformation for a vehicle that brake condition monitoring program 306Acollects and determines. Brake condition information can includeremaining depth of friction material on brake pads, brake rotorcondition (e.g., scarring, cracking, warping, and excessive rusting),percentage of friction material remaining on the brake pads, serviceprojections for the braking systems, and estimated time of service basedon brake pad and brake rotor wear.

Sensor housing 204 includes optical image sensor 312 and light source314. Optical image sensor 312 is coupled to receive information from afirst end of optical image fiber 108, previously discussed with regardsto FIG. 3. Optical image sensor 312 represents a sensor that detects andconveys information utilized by brake condition monitoring program 306Ato generate an image of contact surface on brake rotor. In thisembodiment, light source 314 represents one or more infraredlight-emitting diodes (IR LEDs), where light source 314 is coupled totransfer light to a first end of light transmission fiber 106. Remotesensor head 300 includes light transmission fiber 106, optical imagefiber 108, and nozzle 206 of a pulse air cleaning system. Remote sensorhead 300 is positioned at within a cavity of every brake pad in thebraking system. In one embodiment, a vehicle with four brakes rotorsutilizes a brake pad set that includes eight separate brake pads, wheretwo brake pads from the brake pad set are associated with each brakerotor. Remote sensor head 300 is positioned in each of the eight brakepads from the brake pad sets, where brake condition monitoring program306A collects brake pad condition information for each brake pad fromthe brake pad set. Furthermore, brake condition monitoring program 306Acollects brake rotor condition information for each of the four brakerotors, where the brake rotor condition information for each brakerotors includes two contact surfaces.

In other embodiments, remote sensor head 300 is positioned in only twobrake pads from the brake pad sets, where brake condition monitoringprogram 306A collects brake pad condition information for a brake padassociated with a brake rotor located on a front axle and a brake padassociated with a brake rotor located on a rear axle. A quantity ofremote sensor heads 300 utilized is dependent on an application (e.g.,industrial usage) and an operating environment (e.g., high temperature,dust, and debris) of a vehicle for which brake condition monitoringprogram 306A monitors a brake system.

ABS module 310 includes hub sensor 316 and pedal position sensor 318.Hud sensor 316, also referred to as an ABS sensor, monitors a rotationalspeed of a brake rotor. Pedal position sensor 318 in drive by wireapplications monitors an amount of pedal travel, where pedal positionsensor 318 is associated with a brake pedal in the braking system. Brakecondition monitoring program 306A can utilize information received byhub sensor 316 to determine a position of a brake rotor relative tocompleting a 360 degree rotation from which an image of the contactsurface of the brake rotor is generated. Brake condition monitoringprogram 306A can utilize pedal position sensor 318 to determine when thebrake pads are pressed against the contact surface of the brake rotor toestablish baseline measurements for the brake pads.

In general, network 304 can be any combination of connections andprotocols that will support communications between electronic device 202and server computer 302. Network 304 provides brake condition monitoringprogram 306A with cloud interface 216 to which vehicle data 308 can beuploaded to from electronic device 202. Network 304 can include, forexample, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), such asthe internet, a cellular network, or any combination of the preceding,and can further include wired, wireless, and/or fiber optic connections.In one embodiment, brake condition monitoring program 306B can be a webservice accessible via network 304 to a user of electronic device 202.In another embodiment, brake condition monitoring program 306B may beoperated directly by a user of server computer 302.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting operational steps of a brake conditionmonitoring program for determining a rotor and brake pad conditions, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Brake condition monitoring program determines (402) a vehicle isoperational. In this embodiment, the vehicle is a personal automobile,where the vehicle is operational when an operator depresses the brakepedal and initializes the vehicle into an accessory mode via astart/stop button or ignition key. For certain electrical vehicles,depressing the brake pedal places the vehicle into the accessory mode,without requiring an action via the start/stop button or ignition key.The accessory mode represents a state where power is provided to all theelectronic components on the vehicle, prior to vehicle being placed intoa driving gear (e.g., forward or reverse). In another embodiment, thevehicle is an aircraft, where the vehicle is operational when anoperator turns on auxiliary power unit prior to igniting one or moreengines and the brake is applied to the landing gear.

Brake condition monitoring program initializes (404) the plurality ofsensors. Brake condition monitoring program initializes the plurality ofsensors by checking connectivity with the sensor housing and the one ormore remote sensor heads with the light transmission fibers and theoptical image fibers. Responsive to brake condition monitoring programdetermining connectivity cannot be established with one or more of thesensor housing and/or the one or more remote sensor heads, brakecondition monitoring program can display a notification identifying theone or more of the sensor housing and/or the one or more remote sensorheads experiencing connectivity issues. Furthermore, brake conditionmonitoring program initializes the plurality of sensors by checkingvalues generated by the sensor housing with the one or more remotesensor heads with the light transmission fibers and the optical imagefibers. If one or more values produced by the one or more remote sensorheads are outside of an operating range, brake condition monitoringprogram identifies the one or more values as an anomaly and brakecondition monitoring program can display a notification identifying theone or more remote sensor heads experiencing the anomaly with the one ormore values outside of the operating range.

Brake condition monitoring program establishes (406) baselinemeasurements. To establish baseline measurements for friction materialdepth on a brake pad, brake condition monitoring program requires thebrakes be applied, so that the brake pads interact with the contactsurface of the brake rotor. In one embodiment, when the operatordepresses the brake pedal to initialize (i.e., start) the vehicle, brakecondition monitoring program establishes the baseline measurement forthe friction material depth on the brake pad by pulsating the one ormore IR LEDs and utilizing Time of Flight techniques to determine thefriction material depth. As previously discussed, brake conditionmonitoring program measures the thickness of the friction material bypulsing the IR LEDs positioned on the backing plate of the brake pad andsampling the image sensor for a Time of Flight measurement between thebacking plate and a contact surface of the rotor, where the backingplate includes the light transmission fiber and the optical image fiber.In another embodiment, brake condition monitoring program utilizes theABS module to depress the brakes, so that the brake pads interact withthe contact surface of the brake rotor. Subsequently, brake conditionmonitoring program establishes the baseline measurement for the frictionmaterial depth on the brake pad by utilizing the Time of Flighttechnique discussed above. In yet another embodiment, brake conditionmonitoring program displays a notification to the operator of thevehicle to depress the brake to allow for brake condition monitoringprogram to establish the baseline measurement for the friction materialdepth on the brake pad by utilizing the Time of Flight techniquediscussed above.

To establish baseline measurements for the contact surface of the brakerotor, brake condition monitoring program generates a single image of acontact surface of the brake rotor during an initial rotation of thebrake rotor. Brake condition monitoring program captures multiple imagesof portions of the contact surface of the brake rotor during the initialrotation, compiles the multiples images of the portions of the contactsurface, and generates the single image for the contact surface of therotor as the baseline measurement. Brake condition monitoring programcan utilize the ABS module and the hub sensor associated with each brakerotor to determine a sampling rate to gather the multiples images of theportions of the contact surface the brake rotor. Brake conditionmonitoring program performs an initial assessment of the contact surfaceof the brake rotor to identify instances of scarring, cracking, warping,and excessive rusting to determine a sampling rate to gather themultiples images of the portions of the contact surface the brake rotorcan store the baseline measurements for the brake pads and the brakerotor, along with the generated single image of the brake rotor on aremote server via a cloud interface for evaluation by a manufacturer,

Brake condition monitoring program samples (408) for rotor conditionassessment. While the vehicle is operational, brake condition monitoringprogram utilizes the ABS module and the hub sensor associated with eachbrake rotor to determine a sampling rate to gather the multiples imagesof the portions of the contact surface the brake rotor. Brake conditionmonitoring program can perform this sampling continuously as the vehicleis in motion or in set time intervals (e.g., every 5 minutes). Brakecondition monitoring program can alter the set time intervals for thesampling depending on detected environmental conditions including butnot limited to ambient temperature, humidity, visibility distances, andprecipitation levels. For example, brake condition monitoring programcan reduce the set time interval for the sampling to one minute forhigher ambient temperature, since the high temperature condition is notideal for brake pads and brake rotors to properly cool during usage. Inanother example, if a rain sensor on a vehicle detects highprecipitation levels, brake condition monitoring program can reduce theset time interval for the sampling to one minute due to the potential offluid (i.e., rainwater) buildup between the contact surface of the brakerotor and the friction material of the brake pad. Furthermore, a pulseair cleaning system can direct pulses of compressed air via a nozzletowards the plurality of light transmission fibers and the plurality ofoptical image fibers in the cavity of each brake pad.

Brake condition monitoring program processes (410) sample readings forservice projections. For processing the sample readings of the brakerotor, brake condition monitoring program compiles the multiples imagesof the portions of the contact surface and generates a current image forthe contact surface of the brake rotor. Brake condition monitoringprogram compares the current generated image of the contact surface ofthe brake rotor to the previously generated image of the contact surfaceof the brake rotor, utilized as the baseline measurement for the brakerotor. Brake condition monitoring program can identify any new instancesof scarring, cracking, warping, and excessive rusting, relative to thepreviously performed initial assessment. For processing sample readingsof the brake pads, brake condition monitoring program can utilize theTime of Flight techniques when brakes are applied during the samplingprocess for the brake rotor condition to determine friction materialdepth on the brake pad. Brake condition monitoring program can comparethe sampled measurement with the previously established baselinemeasurement for the friction material depth on the brake pad anddetermine a depth change and/or percentage change in friction materialdepth on the brake pad due to wear.

Brake condition monitoring program displays (412) rotor conditionassessment and service projections. Brake condition monitoring programcan display results for the brake rotor condition assessment and serviceprojections to the user (i.e., vehicle operator) in a user interface ofa media system. Brake condition monitoring program can display asimplified and/or a detailed brake rotor condition assessment to theuser, to allow for the user to either quickly view an overall result(e.g., “Status: Ok”, “Status: Attention Required”) or to allow for theuser to view a detailed result of the assessment with the generatedimage of the brake rotor. For the detailed result of the assessment,brake condition monitoring program displays the generated image of thebrake rotor and can highlight one or more areas of the contact surfaceof the brake rotor where instances of potential scarring, cracking,warping, and excessive rusting have been detected. Furthermore, brakecondition monitoring program can determine a severity of the instance ofpotential scarring, cracking, warping, and excessive rusting and displaya service projection (e.g., 30,000 miles or “service now”) of how longthe brake rotors can last based on the severity of the instance ofpotential scarring, cracking, warping, and excessive rusting.

Brake condition monitoring program can also display a remaining frictionmaterial depth for each of the brake pads (e.g., 6 mm friction materialfriction material), a percentage of remaining friction material depthfor each of the brake pads (e.g., 25% friction material frictionmaterial), and identify one or more brake pads experiencing abnormalwear relative to the other brake pads being monitored (e.g., 6 mm vs 9mm friction material remaining). Brake condition monitoring program candetermine a rate of friction material wear for the brake pads based onmileage traveled and display a service projection of how long the brakepads should last (e.g., 10,000 miles) until the brake pads requireservicing and/or replacing.

Brake condition monitoring program determines (decision 414) if thevehicle is still operational. In the event brake condition monitoringprogram determines the vehicle is no longer operational (“no”, decision414), brake condition monitoring program stores (418) rotor conditionassessment and service projections. In the event brake conditionmonitoring program determines the vehicle is still operational (“yes”,decision 414), brake condition monitoring program reverts back to samplefor rotor condition assessment (408).

Brake condition monitoring program stores (418) rotor conditionassessment and service projections. Brake condition monitoring programhas the ability to utilize a cloud interface to send the rotor conditionassessment and service projections to a server computer for storage andfurther analysis by a manufacturer. Brake condition monitoring programcan store the rotor condition assessment and service projections basedon brake rotor and brake pad part numbers, where each stored rotorcondition assessment and service projection is associated with aspecific vehicle identifiable via a vehicle identification number (VIN).Brake condition monitoring program can utilizes the stored rotorcondition assessment and service projections to identify potentialmanufacturing defects for instance of abnormal wear in brake pads orinstances of potential scarring, cracking, warping, and excessiverusting in brake rotors based on specific part numbers. Furthermore,brake condition monitoring program can utilize the stored rotorcondition assessment and service projections to manage and predictfuture service trends to repair and/or replace the brake rotors andbrake pads.

FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of components of a computer system forperforming the operational steps of the brake condition monitoringprogram, in an embodiment, in accordance with the present invention. Thecomputer system includes processors 504, cache 516, memory 506,persistent storage 508, communications unit 510, input/output (I/O)interface(s) 512 and communications fabric 502. Communications fabric502 provides communications between cache 516, memory 506, persistentstorage 508, communications unit 510, and input/output (I/O)interface(s) 512. Communications fabric 502 can be implemented with anyarchitecture designed for passing data and/or control informationbetween processors (such as microprocessors, communications and networkprocessors, etc.), system memory, peripheral devices, and any otherhardware components within a system. For example, communications fabric502 can be implemented with one or more buses or a crossbar switch.

Memory 506 and persistent storage 508 are computer readable storagemedia. In this embodiment, memory 506 includes random access memory(RAM). In general, memory 506 can include any suitable volatile ornon-volatile computer readable storage media. Cache 516 is a fast memorythat enhances the performance of processors 504 by holding recentlyaccessed data, and data near recently accessed data, from memory 506.

Program instructions and data used to practice embodiments of thepresent invention may be stored in persistent storage 508 and in memory506 for execution by one or more of the respective processors 504 viacache 516. In an embodiment, persistent storage 508 includes a magnetichard disk drive. Alternatively, or in addition to a magnetic hard diskdrive, persistent storage 508 can include a solid state hard drive, asemiconductor storage device, read-only memory (ROM), erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, or any othercomputer readable storage media that is capable of storing programinstructions or digital information.

The media used by persistent storage 508 may also be removable. Forexample, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage 508.Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, andsmart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto anothercomputer readable storage medium that is also part of persistent storage508.

Communications unit 510, in these examples, provides for communicationswith other data processing systems or devices. In these examples,communications unit 510 includes one or more network interface cards.Communications unit 510 may provide communications through the use ofeither or both physical and wireless communications links. Programinstructions and data used to practice embodiments of the presentinvention may be downloaded to persistent storage 508 throughcommunications unit 510.

I/O interface(s) 512 allows for input and output of data with otherdevices that may be connected to each computer system. For example, I/Ointerface 512 may provide a connection to external devices 518 such as akeyboard, keypad, a touch screen, and/or some other suitable inputdevice. External devices 518 can also include portable computer readablestorage media such as, for example, thumb drives, portable optical ormagnetic disks, and memory cards. Software and data used to practiceembodiments of the present invention can be stored on such portablecomputer readable storage media and can be loaded onto persistentstorage 508 via I/O interface(s) 512. I/O interface(s) 512 also connectto display 520.

Display 520 provides a mechanism to display data to a user and may be,for example, a computer monitor.

The programs described herein are identified based upon the applicationfor which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of theinvention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular programnomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus theinvention should not be limited to use solely in any specificapplication identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 includes one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 5 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 7, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 6) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 6 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 include hardware and software components.Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC (ReducedInstruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62; servers 63;blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks and networkingcomponents 66. In some embodiments, software components include networkapplication server software 67 and database software 68.

Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtualclients 75.

In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may include applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 84provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtualclassroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94;transaction processing 95; and brake condition monitoring program 306.

The programs described herein are identified based upon the applicationfor which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of theinvention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular programnomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus theinvention should not be limited to use solely in any specificapplication identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a computer, or other programmable data processing apparatusto produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computerreadable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readablestorage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable dataprocessing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the computer readable storage medium havinginstructions stored therein comprises an article of manufactureincluding instructions which implement aspects of the function/actspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be accomplished as one step, executed concurrently,substantially concurrently, in a partially or wholly temporallyoverlapping manner, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in thereverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will alsobe noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts orcarry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for monitoring condition of abraking system, the apparatus comprising: a brake pad with a frictionmaterial, a first plurality of light transmission fibers, and a firstplurality of optical image fibers, wherein the first plurality of lighttransmission fibers and the first plurality of optical image fibers arepositioned on top of a backing plate of the brake pad, wherein thefriction material is positioned on top of the backing plate of the brakepad; a first end of each of the first plurality of light transmissionfibers coupled to one or more light emitting-diodes and a second end ofeach of the first plurality of light transmission fibers directedtowards a contact surface of a brake rotor; and a first end of each ofthe first plurality of optical image fibers coupled to an image sensorand a second end of each of the first plurality of optical image fibersdirected towards the contact surface of the brake rotor, wherein thefirst plurality of light transmission fibers and the first plurality ofoptical image fibers are configured to capture an image of at least asection of the contact surface of the brake rotor.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more light emitting-diodes are positionedand the image sensor are positioned in a remote sensor housing.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more light emitting-diodes areinfrared light emitting-diodes.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, the firstplurality of light transmission fibers configured to direct lighttowards to the contact surface of the brake rotor and the firstplurality of optical image fibers configured to capture the lightreflected off the contact surface of the brake rotor.
 5. The apparatusof claim 1, further comprising: a nozzle for positioned near the brakepad configured to direct air towards the first plurality of lighttransmission fibers and the first plurality of optical image fibers. 6.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a second plurality oflight transmission fibers positioned on top of the backing plate of thebrake pad; and a first end of each of the second plurality of lighttransmission fibers coupled to the one or more light emitting-diodes anda second end of each of the second plurality of light transmissionfibers directed towards the contact surface of the brake rotor.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 6, wherein the first plurality of optical imagefibers is a row of optical image fibers positioned between a first rowof the first plurality of light transmission fibers and a second row ofthe second plurality of light transmission fibers.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein the row of optical image fibers, the first row of thefirst plurality of light transmission fibers, and the second row of thesecond plurality of light transmission fibers are positioned along aportion of a radius of the contact surface of the brake rotor.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of light transmissionfiber and the first plurality of optical image fibers are positioned ina cavity on top of a backing plate of the brake pad between a firstportion of the friction material and a second portion of the frictionmaterial.
 10. A method for brake condition monitoring, the methodcomprising: responsive to initializing an image sensor and one or moreinfrared light emitting-diodes, establishing, by one or more processors,a baseline measurement for each of one or more brake pads and one ormore brake rotors utilizing a plurality of light transmission fiberscoupled to the one or more infrared light emitting-diodes and aplurality of optical image fibers coupled to the image sensors;sampling, by the one or more processors, each of the one or more brakepads and the each of the one or more brake rotors for assessment toestablish sample readings; processing, by the one or more processors,the sample readings for brake pad service projections and brake rotorservice projections for each of the one or more brake pads and for eachof the one or more brake rotors; and displaying, by the one or moreprocessors, the brake pad service projections and the brake rotorservice projections for each of the one or more brake pads and for eachof the one or more brake rotor, wherein the brake rotor serviceprojections further include a rotor condition assessment.
 11. The methodof claim 10, wherein initializing the image sensor and the one or moreinfrared light emitting-diodes further comprises: determining, by theone or more processors, whether connectivity is established with each ofthe plurality of light transmission fibers and each of the plurality ofoptical image fibers; responsive to determining connectivity isestablished with each of the plurality of light transmission fibers andeach of the plurality of optical image fiber, identifying, by one ormore processors, whether a value produced by the plurality of lighttransmission fibers and the plurality of optical image fibers areoutside of an operating range; and response to identifying the valueproduced outside of the operating range, displaying, by the one or moreprocessors, a notification identifying a remote sensor head associatedwith the value produced outside of the operating range, wherein thevalue is associated with a first light transmission fiber from theplurality of light transmission fibers and a first optical image fiberfrom the plurality of optical image fibers.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein establishing a baseline measurement for each of one or morebrake pads and one or more brake rotors further comprises: responsive toeach of the one or more brake pads interacting with a contact surface ofeach of the one or more brake rotors, determining, by the one or moreprocessors, an initial friction material depth for each of the one ormore brake pads utilizing a Time of Flight technique.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the Time of Flight technique is based on light emittedby a single light transmission fiber reflecting off the contact surfaceof a single brake rotor toward a single optical image transmissionfiber.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein sampling each of the one ormore brake pads and the each of the one or more brake rotors forassessment further comprises: capturing, by the one or more processors,a plurality of images of a contact surface of the brake rotor during a360 degree rotation; generating, by the one or more processors, a singleimage of the contact surface of the brake rotor by compiling theplurality of images; and performing, by the one or more processors, theassessment of the contact surface in the single image to identify one ormore instances of scarring, cracking, warping, and excessive rusting.15. The method of claim 12, wherein sampling each of the one or morebrake pads and the each of the one or more brake rotors for assessmentfurther comprises: responsive to each of the one or more brake padsinteracting with the contact surface of each of the one or more brakerotors, determining, by the one or more processors, a current frictionmaterial depth for each of the one or more brake pads utilizing the Timeof Flight technique.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein processing thesample readings for brake pad service projections further comprises:comparing, by the one or more processors, the initial friction materialdepth to the current friction material depth; and determining, by theone or more processors, a percentage change in friction material depthon the one or more brake pads due to wear.
 17. The method of claim 14,further comprising: comparing, by the one or more processors, the singleimage of the contact surface to a previously generated image to identifythe one or more new instances of scarring, cracking, warping, andexcessive rusting.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein displaying thebrake pad service projections and the brake rotor service projectionsfurther comprises: displaying, by the one or more processors, the singleimage of the contact surface, wherein one or more areas of the contactsurface are highlighted to identify the one or more instances ofpotential scarring, cracking, warping, and excessive rusting.
 19. Themethod of claim 16, wherein displaying the brake pad service projectionsand the brake rotor service projections further comprises: determining,by the one or more processors, a rate of friction material wear based ona mileage travel and difference between the initial friction materialdepth and the current friction material depth; and displaying, by theone or more processors, the brake pad service projections, wherein thebrake pad service projections includes a mileage amount until each ofthe one or more brake pads require servicing.